1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of automatic guns and more particularly to light machine guns having the capability for alternatively firing belted and clip-fed ammunition.
2. Background Discussion
In spite of the development of such sophisticated and powerful weapons as nuclear bombs, ballistic and guided missles, supersonic fighters and bombers, super aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines, modern military conflicts still ultimately rely upon foot troops whose combat role is, as it has always been, to take and hold ground. This apparent anomoly has been demonstrated time and time again in post-World War II conflicts, including the Korean war, Viet Nam, Granada and the current Iraq-Iran conflict in the Mid-East.
For several hundred years, the primary weapon of ground troops has been the rifle. Starting with crude, single shot, match-lock muzzle loaders, the rifle has evolved through breech-loaders and semi-automatic rifles, into the present day, relatively small calibre, clip-fed. automatic rifles, exemplified in the United States and many other free countries of the world by the M-16 and in Soviet-block countries by the AK-47.
In most military organizations, rifles have typically been supplemented, on a company, platoon or squad level, by submachine guns (which fire pistol ammunition) and light machine guns (which fire rifle ammunition). By way of example, in both World War II and Korea, the semi-automatic M1 rifle used by U.S. troops was augmented by such automatic weapons as the Thompson submachine gun, the "grease" gun, the Browning automatic rifle (BAR) and 30 and 50 calibre machine guns, and in Viet Nam the M-16 was, for example, augmented by the larger, NATO calibre M-60 machine gun.
Many modern automatic rifles, such as the M-16 and the AK-47, as well as various other similar rifles in service throughout the world, combine features which were once separately found in rifles, submachine guns and light machine guns. The resulting modern rifles, which are usually selectable between semi-automatic and fully automatic firing, are sometimes referred to generically as "assault rifles."
Although modern automatic rifles usually have many advantages over those used in World War II and Korea, being generally lighter in weight and having greatly increased fire power, improvements are still continually sought by the military services not only in automatic rifles but also in ligth machine guns (LMG) which are easily carried by troops and which increase the firepower and effectiveness of the troops in both offensive and defensive situations.
One relatively recent requirement, at least by the military in this country, for new generation LMG's is that such weapons have the dual capability for firing both belted ammunition and ammunition held in conventional, rifle clips. The use of belted ammunition, which is, in one configuration, held in boxes which attach to the gun, enables sustained firing without reloading the gun. On the other hand, the ability to use standard rifle clips which hold the same calibre ammunition and which are commonly available in rifle companies using the LMG's, enables continued operation of the LMG if the supply of belted ammunition is exhausted.
Although some types of belt and clip-fed, "convertible" LMG's have been put into limited service, that does not necessarily mean that such guns are entirely satisfactory for combat use or that they cannot or should not be improved upon. Extensive, individualized "gunsmithing" is, for example, reportedly required on some types of convetable LMG's before they are capable of satisfactory operation even in benign environments. This raises questions as to the reliability of such guns in service and especially under combat conditions, and improvements to overcome this apparent manufacturability problem are expected to be needed.
It is desirable in such convertible guns to reduce the number of small and/or complicated parts. Complicated parts are not only costly to manufacture but often make the interchageability of parts difficult.
Among other requirements, LMG's should: (i) be rugged and operate reliably and accurately, in a wide range of hostile environments, including arid and sandy deserts, humid jungles and icy polar regions, (ii) be capable of taking all manner of abuse and still operate satisfactorily; (iii) not require excessive maintanance and whatever maintenance is required should be quick and simple to perform both under adverse field conditions and by relatively untrained troops, (iv) not have an excessive number of complicated parts which can be easily damaged or which cannot be interchanged among weapons of the same type, (v) be easy to operate accurately by relatively green troops, and (vi) be relatively simple and economical to manufacture.
The importance of this country's having the best possible weapons, including LMG's, for its troops is made evident by the fact that in any armed conflict, United States troops can be expected to be out numbered by enemy troops, often by a large margin. It is, therefore, a principle objective of the present invention to provide an improved, convertible belt/clip-fed automatic gun or LMG which will overcome the deficiencies of known guns of such type.